


Kiss Goodnight

by datlantica



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Divorced Daniel, M/M, feelings realization? it's more feelings remembering but ykno, idk what else to tag this as lol, no beta just me writing to keep sane, uhhh angst i guess? yeah, very light swearing. super light
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:14:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27628682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/datlantica/pseuds/datlantica
Summary: Johnny ends up with Daniel back at his house, and they talk some stuff out.
Relationships: Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence
Comments: 7
Kudos: 56





	Kiss Goodnight

**Author's Note:**

> the title is a reference to "Kiss Goodnight," the song by iDKHOW !!! It gave me most of the inspiration for this short little thing
> 
> if there are any spelling errors ignore them please all of this was written at like. 2:30am
> 
> also this is probably ooc but what am i gonna do about it! nothing!

"Night." 

"Wait, Johnny. Hang on." The blonde stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around, leaning up against Daniel's front doorway. "Yeah?" He asked. 

"Stay for the night. I know you're in no condition to drive." 

"I got you here safely, didn't I?" 

Daniel laughed. "Barely! Listen, if you want to get into a wreck: that's on you. But I'm offering my house to you for a night." 

"Seriously?" Johnny stared at him in shock. 

" _Just_ to sleep in, no funny business, alright? Because I'll absolutely hear any parties you throw in this guest room." 

So Johnny accepted his offer and came back inside. 

He took a good sweep around the room, poking at all the little trinkets Larusso had on the shelves. Mostly decorations, but a few books and photo albums that held sentimental value. Probably. 

"These pictures of you?" 

"And my family, yeah." 

"Gross, bet there's baby pictures in here." 

"Yeah there are, Johnny. And they're the originals, too, so don't rip anything up." 

"No promises, LaRusso. Especially if I find something weird in here." 

He decided to open up to a random page in a book labeled 'Danny + Family.' It was mostly candid pictures of Daniel in his youth, as expected. 

He always looked so happy. 

"These all you, from front to back?" Johnny flipped through the pages, fast enough that he couldn't really tell who was in the pictures anymore. 

"No, there's some other people in there too!" 

"Like who?" Johnny raised a curious, doubtful eyebrow. 

"Like _my_ kids. And there's spaces in there for their kids, too." 

"What if they don't end up having kids?" 

"Well, then I'll fill it with more pictures of me. You done snooping?" Daniel looked annoyed. Johnny must've hit a sore spot with the whole 'no grandkids' idea. 

"Jeez, LaRusso, just trying to be friendly." 

There was a long silence. It was broken by Johnny clearing his throat and continuing to flip through photo-album pages. 

Snapping point.

"Y'know you were just as annoying in highschool as you are now, right?" Daniel poked at Johnny's buttons in _just_ the right way. 

Not too much, and not too little that he's able to shrug it off, either. 

"Oh yeah, like you were a saint." Sarcasm. He set down the album. 

"It wasn't my fault that I had to pick on you and your little pack of cobras. You started it." Sincerity. Daniel meant what he said, because he fully believed it. 

"Started what, _Daniel?"_ Johnny was extremely blunt in his delivery. The room fell completely silent again. 

And Daniel gulped. 

He hadn't expected Johnny to ever use his first name, and in this context it was scary. 

Like, crazily scary. But he still took a step forward into the man's space, an act of either bravery or stupidity. He'd find out later which category it fell into. He didn't care about the consequences now. Now was the time to stick it where it really hurt. 

"Everything, all of this! 30 years of trouble!" 

"I did _not_ start this." And Johnny was practically _seething_ already. He tightened his fist, ready to strike at any moment. 

But Daniel put his hands on his head in disbelief and stepped away and around in a circle in front of him. 

"God, you really can't see it, can you?" 

"See what, man? You tortured me for so long, and for what? Because I was an asshole to Ali on the beach _one time?_ That _you_ didn't learn your lesson after I showed you what'd happen if you messed with me?" 

Daniel shook his head and laughed. 

"Y'know, I'm starting to regret letting you back into my life." 

"C'mon, LaRusso. You're obsessed with me." 

"I am not!" 

"Yes you are! You ruined your marriage because of our rivalry!" 

"Johnny, I didn't even _want_ to be rivals with you after all these years. I tried to be your friend, I did. But I guess you couldn't let anything go, could you? You only opened up Cobra Kai because I mentioned how the world was better off without it!" 

Johnny snapped his mouth shut and _blinked._ It was all he could do. Because he knew Daniel was right. 

He didn't have a comeback. 

For once in his life, he couldn't think of ANYTHING snarky to say back. So he sank to the floor and just stared at the tile. 

And that made Daniel worried. 

"Hey," He started soft, calm. "Johnny, listen, I'm sorry." 

Johnny looked at him, he stared at him until it got weird and kept staring. He was thinking, processing. Remembering. 30 years of memories and all the things he thought as a teenager were suddenly back on his mind, and it was all very overwhelming. 

But all of a sudden a lightbulb went off in his head. 

"I only hated you because I liked you." 

"What?" 

"Take a hint, dumbass, I had the hots for you!"  
Johnny couldn't believe he ever forgot about that. How he spent his entire senior year absolutely head over heels for Daniel just because he knew how to throw a punch, and it was exhilarating to be that equally matched with someone.

Daniel's jaw dropped a little.

"Had." He quoted the man as he knelt down to be on his level. Johnny quirked a brow up at the action. "Do you still like me?" Daniel asked, voice still soft. 

It was reassuring. 

"God, LaRusso, I'm not in kindergarten! Yes, I still have..." He stopped himself mid sentence to think about his next words carefully. 

Daniel tried finishing the sentence. "Feelings for me? Oh, boy," 

"Don't say it like that!" 

He gave him a look that read 'let me finish.' 

So Johnny shut up again. 

"...you, confessing that you have a _crush_ on me after 30 years of mutual torment; both mental and physical, by the way—" He waved his hands around a lot when he talked. "—is NOT the way I saw this night going, Johnny." 

"Makes me sound like a weirdo, doesn't it? This is why I hid it for so long I _forgot about it."_

And Daniel frowned. He came even closer and placed a comforting hand on Johnny's back. 

"You're not weird, John. At all." 

Johnny rolled his eyes and scoffed. He wasn't buying it. 

"Alright, alright! Listen... I might've had a... less than tiny thing for you back in highschool, too." Daniel hoped his confession would help the other man relax. 

And it did, Johnny un-tensed his shoulders and let out a barely audible sigh of relief. 

"Really?" He asked. 

"Yeah. But I haven't thought about it in a while, I was so focused on Amanda, and—" 

He cut himself off, a sad look replacing his once neutral expression. 

"What are we doing?" 

"What?" 

"All of this, Johnny. The— the back and forth, the bickering. We're just wasting time now, aren't we?" Daniel still looked sad. 

And maybe it was because he was in his 50s and knew he was at a mid-point in his time on earth. 

But he was right, for the second time in the night. 

They didn't really have much more time, and with each second they spent sitting here they had even less. 

So their eyes locked after several long moments of consideration. 

And Johnny acted. 

He pulled Daniel down into a kiss, soft and sweet. It was over far too quick, and left Daniel staring at the floor. 

Thinking, again. 

"Uh—" Daniel hesitated. He considered staying. Instead, he sighed.

"G'night, Johnny." 

"I'm sorry." 

"Don't be, I think I just need to clear my head. I'll see you in the morning, alright?" 

"Yeah. Night, LaRusso." 

Daniel left the room, making sure the door shut softly behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> i set this as multiple chapters because i might decide to revisit this in the future, just fyi. for the time being, however: only one chapter :)


End file.
